PHOTO GALLERY
There’s always some strange, interesting, beautiful or fun going on here at the Acre, so I carry a camera. Just in case.
How About Them Apples?
This isn't an apple, it's a bell pepper. The parents, a California Wonder and a Chocolate Bell pepper, made these big, beautiful red peppers with a little deep purple blush. Thick walled and sweet, it's a great pepper for stuffing as well as eating fresh. Thick walled and very sweet. A good pepper for stuffing and in sauces.
AROUND THE ACRE
Weathercam
Live camera shot facing west toward the Pacific Ocean, which is about 5 miles away.
Camera updates every 2 minutes.
→ Live Camera
→Wunderground
Weather Forcast
71°F
HOME & GARDEN
Operation “No Fruit Left Behind” Continues
We're trying to not let any of the garden produce go to waste this year (much to the chicken's disappointment), so we've been canning, drying, pickling and preserving everything possible.
Sweet Pepper Season
Sweet peppers are ripe so we're pickling and roasting today so we can preserve them for later. Pickled peppers are delicious and super easy to make with this recipe.
‘Taters and ‘Maters
Russian Banana Fingerling and German Butterball potatoes in flower in the taters & maters raised bed, plus then and now photos of the bed.
Tomatillo Time!
The tomatillos are practically throwing fruit at us. These are from some wild plants that reseed every year. Once they were either purple or green, but now they're all crossbred and just sort of do whatever they want. Still taste great!
A Rustic Steel and Cedar Window Box
Weekend project for under $20 inspiration: How about a stylish rustic window box planter made from a cheap cedar fence pickets and a piece of corrugated steel?
The Onion Harvest Rule
Grandpa always said "plant onions on the first day of spring, harvest them on the first day of fall." But here in the southwest, the first day of winter and summer are more like it.
HOME & GARDEN
FOOD & RECIPES
How to make deli-style Italian sandwich rolls
Here's the recipe for chewy, crunchy, flavorful sub sandwich rolls so good your family and friends will have a hard time believing you made them.
Making Summer Pickles
If you love authentic dill pickles, there's nothing better or simpler to make than old fashioned deli-style summer pickles. This recipe dates back to 1900 and uses just a few spices and natural fermentation to make some of the best homemade pickles you'll ever taste. No refrigeration or fancy gadgets required.
Blackberry Jam Class of 2020
This year's "jam session" yielded about 3 gallons of blackberry and raspberry jam. We picked a little more than 20 lbs of fruit and used this foolproof recipe
FOOD & RECIPES
How to make deli-style Italian sandwich rolls
Here's the recipe for chewy, crunchy, flavorful sub sandwich rolls so good your family and friends will have a hard time believing you made them.
Making Summer Pickles
If you love authentic dill pickles, there's nothing better or simpler to make than old fashioned deli-style summer pickles. This recipe dates back to 1900 and uses just a few spices and natural fermentation to make some of the best homemade pickles you'll ever taste. No refrigeration or fancy gadgets required.
Blackberry Jam Class of 2020
This year's "jam session" yielded about 3 gallons of blackberry and raspberry jam. We picked a little more than 20 lbs of fruit and used this foolproof recipe
Scallop Squash Stuffed with Pesto Chicken
We're up to our eyeballs in squash so I'm always looking for new ways to use it in meals. Here's an easy recipe for pesto chicken stuffed in baked squash that everyone seems to love.
